Questioni internazionali

A vivid portrait of Italy’s diplomatic world in the 1880s and 1890s unfolds through the meticulous records of a determined foreign minister. The narrative follows his campaign to shield Italians living abroad, from securing schools that taught in the mother tongue to rescuing national missions from foreign oversight. By reshaping religious‑run institutions into modern, secular academies, he sought to reinforce a shared sense of identity far beyond Italy’s borders.

Interwoven with these domestic strides are candid exchanges with Europe’s great powers, most strikingly a series of letters between the Italian minister and the newly appointed German chancellor. Their polite yet pointed dialogues reveal the delicate balancing act of alliance‑building, rivalry with France, and the push to keep the Triple Alliance intact. Listeners glimpse the strategies, promises, and subtle tensions that shaped the era’s international chessboard.

The work is both a scholarly trove of primary documents and a reflective meditation on ambition, duty, and the fragile legacy of a statesman whose vision was never fully realized. It invites anyone curious about the foundations of modern Italian foreign policy to step into the rooms where history was negotiated.